Saturday, May 17, 2014

California

A wide, paved walking path climbs between
two symmetrical neighbourhoods.
Like an axis of reflection, it separates bays formed in u’s on either
side of it. They remind me of the
looped boutonnières my mother sewed down the back of her sister’s wedding dress
some sixty years ago. At the tip
of one of those bays, a father plays catch with his son on the street just before dusk. A basketball net suspended from a thick
black plastic support is planted on the edge of the traffic and faces the street.
The games occur in the round of the bay, it seems; not much traffic here
to worry about. I’m not at home,
though, in my small town in Saskatchewan.
I’m in Valencia, California, about forty minutes north-east of Los
Angeles. That surprises me, a
testament to stereotypes I may have built around California despite three
visits. It surely mustn’t surprise
the residents of Valencia. I feel
at home here, and that surprises me even more.

I’ve learned a lot on this visit, when I’ve
had time to get to know the area.

·Drivers in the greater Los
Angeles get a bad rap. We have encountered only courtesy and respect.Throughout our road trips to Encino,
Pasadena, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Malibu, along with shorter jaunts around
Valencia, we have witnessed only proactive consideration for drivers on all points.
Waters part on the freeway when a vehicle signals to change lanes, and an
automatic zipper effect begins whenever congestion limits accessibility to a
roadway.LA drivers consider
others because, as our son says, they have all experienced a traffic congestion.It’s karma.They are considerate, they receive courtesy in return, and
they pay it forward.The cycle
continues.Yes, we experienced
congestion, but never road rage.

Santa Monica Pier

·The communities associated with
Greater Los Angeles, like Santa Clarita, Beverly Hills, and those I’ve just
mentioned, have a vibrant sense of their own identity separate from the
metropolis.

·Los Angeles is in a basin.Mountains and canyons surround it.When you drive into the city, it’s
downhill.Never quite understood that.

·I have to sign my credit card
slips.Over time, I bet I could
even forget my pin number.

·You need a bottle opener to
open pop bottles.

·Solar panels adorn the roofs of
many neighborhood homes and businesses.They also power electric lights or signs in isolated locations.

·Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt
are everywhere.

·Businesses and residences have
courtyards.No need to worry about
how to get the snow out of those enclaves in the winter, I guess.

·People are friendly, and
service is always courteous and affable.They are interested in Saskatchewan, if the subject comes up, and ask
questions.

·It’s been a heat wave this week
with record-setting temperatures in California.After eight months of -25 C, though, I won’t be the one
complaining about + 35 C.

·I forget that so much of
California is desert.My images of
endless soft, sandy beaches and gigantic surf persist from TV shows and movies.The sections of northern California
around Baker (true to its name, coming in at 41° C today) trump southwestern
Saskatchewan for bleak, desolate landscape.Like the grasses and hills of southwestern Saskatchewan,
however, those valleys and canyons exude their own majesty.

So, California, I
hope to be back before too long to discover more of your treasures, and to meander
along more walking trails so pastoral that you can forget you’re in a
metropolis.Thanks for the
hospitality.

About Me

I am a superannuated teacher in transition from pedagogy in the classroom to its applications in community work to help groups accomplish goals. Music is another piece of my puzzle. I play the piano and sing in a liturgical music group in my parish, and I began to play the harp two years ago. I love reading, writing, traveling. Mostly, though, I am the proud mother of three amazing adults and "Mémère" to two precious grandsons.